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Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Sony Locks Out Hacked PS3 Users From PSN

Phase one of Sony's plan to re-secure the PS3 came with a series of firmware updates. But now the company is turning towards the very individuals that use these exploits; whether that be for homebrew use or for piracy.

In a statement issued on the company's PlayStation Blog, Sony revealed that it would ban anyone found using the GeoHot exploit - or any exploit, jailbreak or otherwise, for that matter - from the PlayStation Network. However, users are still being given a chance. So long as they remove all software and hardware pertaining to the hack, they will be clear to use PSN services as per usual.

"Consumers using circumvention devices or running unauthorized or pirated software will have access to the PlayStation Network and access to Qriocity services through PlayStation 3 System terminated permanently.

"To avoid this, consumers must immediately cease use and remove all circumvention devices and delete all unauthorised or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems."

This was added to with further input from James Gallagher, manager of the PS Blog:

"By identifying PlayStation 3 systems that breach our guidelines and terminating their ability to connect to PlayStation Network, we are protecting our business and preserving the honest gameplay experiences that you expect and deserve.

"Rest assured, this message does not apply to the overwhelming majority of our users who enjoy the world of entertainment PlayStation 3 has to offer without breaching the guidelines detailed above, and we urge you to continue doing so without fear."

For users of devices such as PS Jailbreak and other hacking solutions, this is something that was always going to happen - it was inevitable. But for the more serious of homebrwers, Sony's latest decision is unlikely to sway them away from downloading and creating custom content for their consoles, while the ability exists for them to do so.

After all, this was something that the hacking community experienced before with the PSP: being locked out of playing new release titles at the expense of being able to continue running custom code and modified firmware.

However, the idea behind the company's most recent tactic, is to minimise the damage caused by piracy - the downloading and distribution of copied games - while also deterring others from potentially opening themselves up to these possibilities.

Along with the 3.56 system software update - and a few new patches currently being worked on - Sony seem to be targeting every avenue in the hopes that the current leak will be contained, at least partially. But more importantly, kept well away from the mainstream public domain. At least, while they still have that chance.

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